Yeah here I am, about to recommend another yuri series. Predictable, I know. But there's something I find extremely endearing about this updated take on the otherworldly girlfriend trope.
Chou Shin Uchuu Yori Ai o Komete (Big Love from Ultra Deep Space) by Ashidaka Woz
What's it about?
Teradate Ten is a teenage loner who keeps others at bay due to the hurt she suffered during middle school. She'd rather avoid others all together than let people in and risk being rejected. Enter Lulucielamo Mocophishim Klasslamonira, an alien princess who happened to lock eyes with Ten when she was entering Earth's atmosphere. Lulu is a giant, pink-haired, super-powered young woman on a diplomatic mission: to marry a human partner and foster cultural exchange. Lulu picks Ten as this partner due to the fortuitous nature of their meeting. Though Ten is stunned by the sudden proposal, as she spends more time with the clumsy yet kindhearted princess, she begins to wonder if it might be worth opening herself up to connection again.
Why is it worth reading?
Being a young person in the '90s a lot of the anime I enjoyed when I was first renting VHS tapes featured magical or otherworldly girlfriend characters. Video Girl Ai, Aa! Megami-sama!, Urusei Yatsura, Tenchi Muyo!, etc. were formative for me (not to mention the OG Bewitched on TV). I still remember thinking to myself at the time, while going through all these anime series, "Wouldn't it be cool if they made one of these with two girls?" Chou Shin Uchuu Yori Ai o Komete delivers on this tween dream of mine by giving us an aloof butch whose world begins opening up the moment she lets a magical space femme in. Originally a one shot, this concept recently became a full ongoing series in Yurihime and let me tell you, I'm hooked.
Ten is hesitant to accept her role as Lulu’s partner, but after witnessing her classmates judging Lulu without giving her a chance, she instinctively steps in to defend her. When Ten almost goes crashing down some stairs soon after, Lulu repays the favour and rescues her using her secret alien abilities.
Their relationship grows through small acts of kindness like this, each one answered in turn. It’s a simple rhythm, but it works because once you look past the alien girlfriend trope, this is really just the story of two young women learning about each other. Their affection doesn’t spark instantly; instead, it unfolds gradually over the course of the first volume as Ten and Lulu grow more comfortable together.
There's a niceness to their growing intimacy, something endearing built on kindness, patience, and support. Even their interactions with others hinge on this positivity like helping a lost child or retrieving a lost ball. While other people and the world at large can be harsh, Ten and Lulu choose to be kind even when it's difficult and I appreciate that about their characterisation. Considering Ten's past trauma and how difficult she finds connecting with people, I loved seeing her grow across these first few chapters even when she encountered setbacks.
Lulu, of course, is by her side and offers her support without judgement (something Ten has clearly been lacking in her life up until now). She also never pressures Ten into revealing details about her past that she isn't comfortable disclosing, instead offering to listen when she feels like sharing more someday.
I love seeing slow-burn relationships like this unfold, ones that emphasise the growing dynamic between the parties across the relatively mundane backdrop of everyday home and school tasks.
For example, when Lulu offers to help around the house because Ten handles the cooking, it’s those small gestures in order to meet someone halfway that make their relationship, even in this early stage, feel genuine and warm.
So far, the one thing that seems to be lacking is a strong driving plot. We still don't know a lot about Lulu or her kind or what motivated them to travel to Earth for this cultural exchange. But much like Hachioji Meibutsu: Tengu no Koi (which I recommended here) the driving force behind Chou Shin Uchuu Yori Ai o Komete isn't an epic tale, but an examination of the beauty in the banal. The story shines when we see the heroines cooking together, going to karaoke, or simply supporting each other as old traumas threaten to resurface.
As the first compiled volume for the series was only published the other week, there's still a lot we don't yet know about where Chou Shin Uchuu Yori Ai o Komete might take its leads. I don't doubt that this gentle approach with minimal big picture focus won't be for everyone. But if you've ever longed for a giant space woman to come rock your world or appreciated series like Aa! Megami-sama! then you'll likely want to pick up a copy of this enjoyable little romp.
I haven't even made mention of how much I adore Ashidaka Woz's art yet either! It's got bold lines and unique character silhouettes which I love, plus Lulu is canonically 7 foot tall and who doesn't love a giant woman? Something I appreciate about Ashidaka's art is how it remains bold and dynamic despite being used in an overwhelmingly soft story. That contrast makes it stand out when so many other slice-of-life/cohabitation stories lean toward a wispy, delicate visual style.
How can I read it?
Chou Shin Uchuu Yori Ai o Komete runs in Yurihime magazine and is currently unlicensed for an English-language release. There are scanlations by fans I believe on the usual platforms. Personally, I purchased my digital copy of the Japanese volume from Bookwalker and my print edition from Manga Oh (because it comes with a stunning 17cm acrylic stand of Lulu and Ten).
I would really love to drum up some support for this fun little title so it can enjoy an official English-language release because goodness knows we need more yuri with SF/fantasy genre elements in the Western world!
Final thoughts
It would be easy to glance at this series and dismiss it based on Lulu's ridiculous breasts alone, but once you peel back the absurdity of her exaggerated alien form there's a earnestness to both Lulu and Chou Shin Uchuu Yori Ai o Komete. Ten and Lulu are young and their connection is new, but they're both willing to walk together and try their best even though they don't really know what they're doing and isn't that just high school romance in a nutshell?
I’m excited to see how things develop for this intergalactic sapphic duo, and I encourage you to support the series through official releases if it sounds like something you’d enjoy. Please consider requesting the title through publisher submission forms too and let them know there’s an audience for stories like this. Make your voice heard if you, like me, enjoy giant alien princesses playing house with aloof butches.
Recently I bought the Yurihime Cover Archives. It's a bulky (and rather expensive) A4-size book containing a collection of the covers for every Yurihime magazine released from 2011 to 2025.
Many (most) of the monthly editions of Yurihime have spectacular cover art, but getting ahold of the physical older releases is fairly difficult at this point which always made me a little sad (not to mention how much space they take up). However, to my delight late last year they announced this collection as part of their 20th anniversary! It's really cool and cute and even contains a little bit of bonus stuff like an interview between the chief editor and cover designers!
